Chairs by Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Azucena, Italy ,1959

Extremely rare minimalist side chairs model T12, designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Azucena, Italy 1959. Acquired from old stock directly from Azucena, these chairs appear to be unique prototypes from the T12 chair and possibly never (mass)-produced. As the final T12 model was produced by Palini Brescia, with plywood seat and backrest and with lighter metal structure. Both chairs are still in pristine condition, they were found wrapped in paper, indicating they’ve never been used. The chairs feature characteristic dark grey metallic painted tubular frames and natural leather seats securely fastened on metal plates. Besides their simple beauty, these chairs show intricate details when you look closer. Additionally, they offer the practicality of being stackable. Amazing chairs for a special collection or museum possibly. Priced and sold per chair. Founded in 1947 by Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Ignazio Gardella and Corrado Corradi Dell’Acqua, Azucena has always been held in the highest esteem as an Italian brand, combining formal elegance, understated luxury and an aesthetical purity in its collections, all manufactured to the highest standard. Named after Azucena, the gypsy in the Italian opera Il Trovatore, the architects created this brand to bring together a number of collections to furnish buildings they had designed. At the same time they saw an opportunity to produce individual pieces as part of their series of furniture collections. This resulted in a range of iconic pieces – in particular the “Catilina” chair – recognisable for marrying different but very refined materials, reworked into traditional stylistic forms. Luigi Caccia Dominioni won the prestigious Compasso d’Oro for important projects such as the Sedia T12 Palini and the Super door. He also received the Compasso d’Oro for his career and for his objective contribution to the very definition of Italian design and the originality of its content.